f150camper
WA State
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Joined: 05/24/2011
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I know the consensus here is that during towing, not much charging is happening.
So today I took the cover off of our X19H after the winter, and I am going to work on it this afternoon.
One of my first tests was to connect the 7-pin connector to my new F-150, and see if everything works. Especially since there are reports of a fuse and relay that need to be installed- and mine were in their position already from the factory.
So everything works, but while at it, I made one observation:
With everything disconnected, my batteries (dual 6V in series) read 13.07V. Looks like they are fully charged. When I turn on the truck engine and connect the 7-pin, I get 13.89V. Then, I disconnected the 7-pin again and plugged the trailer cord into my dedicated 30Amp outlet at the house. Now the built in charger apparently charges at 13.38V.
That seems to indicate that with the 7-pin connector, and the truck running I am getting some rather good charging. Am I missing something here?
Thanks for any replies!
Nights camped 2011: 13 (4 in the old popup) 
Nights camped 2012: 36
Nights camped 2013: 2
2012 F-150 XLT screw 4x4 HD max tow
2012 Jayco X19H
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skipnchar
Topeka or somewhere else
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Joined: 12/17/2003
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That's about what I see with both of my F 150s that I've used to tow the Rockwood.
2011 F-150 HD Ecoboost 3.5 V6. 2550 payload, 17,100 GCVWR -
2004 F-150 HD (Traded after 80,000 towing miles)
2007 Rockwood 8314SS 34' travel trailer
US Govt survey shows three out of four people make up 75% of the total population
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RWDIII
Casa Grande,AZ; Lakewood CO
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I have a 2006 F150 and that is about what I see.I went every where I could think with a VOM .I was trying to figure out why my converter would not go into boost,14.4V.After reading several posts,I have found out a lot of WFCO fail to go into boost mode.
even if the volts are higher with the 7 pin connecter,the amps are limited do to small wire.Its the total power,watts, that count.
2006 F150 4wd 7200gvw,Lt275-65-18,Scan Guage,Garmin,flowmaster,load levelers,Firestone work rites, sat radio 50s on 5 or outlaw country
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gmw photos
midwest
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RWDIII wrote:I have a 2006 F150 and that is about what I see.I went every where I could think with a VOM .I was trying to figure out why my converter would not go into boost,14.4V.After reading several posts,I have found out a lot of WFCO fail to go into boost mode.
even if the volts are higher with the 7 pin connecter,the amps are limited do to small wire.Its the total power,watts, that count.
My WFCO only goes into "boost" if the battery has been run down sufficient that it needs to go into boost. Otherwise it will charge at around 13.6, and then eventually drop to around 13.2
I've only seen it go into 14.4 a couple of times, but that was because I had been running the furnace fan and some lights while off grid.
EDIT. PS.....I've got one of the "voltminder" devices that the truckers use.....I like it in the camper so I can see at a glance all the time, the status of the battery.
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f150camper
WA State
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Joined: 05/24/2011
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RWDIII wrote:I have a 2006 F150 and that is about what I see.I went every where I could think with a VOM .I was trying to figure out why my converter would not go into boost,14.4V.After reading several posts,I have found out a lot of WFCO fail to go into boost mode.
even if the volts are higher with the 7 pin connecter,the amps are limited do to small wire.Its the total power,watts, that count.
It is 13.9V measured at the battery terminals, so any loss in the wire would be already reflected in that number. All that's there then is the capacitive load of the battery, and the current going into the battery does only depend on the 13.9V and that cap load. I think.
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YC 1
Yuba City Calif.
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Those number sound great. With a charged battery there won't be much current flowing from the truck so the voltages at the TT and engine battery should be very close. When the TT batteries get run down you may see a volt or so difference until the batteries fill back up. Keep in mind your charge line is probably capable of supplying around 30 amps and that can take a lot of driving to recharge 1-200 amp hours.
Not having a schematic or fuse rating for your charge line I can only speculate at the charge current that will be available.
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f150camper
WA State
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200 amp hours at 30 amps - around 7 hours for a full charge?
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YC 1
Yuba City Calif.
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Taco6spd wrote:200 amp hours at 30 amps - around 7 hours for a full charge?
Yep. The alternator would be consuming 600-1000 Watts/hr during that time and that is a lot of heat even though you have good air circulation.
I'm still interested in the model of charger/converter that is installed.
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f150camper
WA State
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YC 1 wrote:Taco6spd wrote:200 amp hours at 30 amps - around 7 hours for a full charge?
Yep. The alternator would be consuming 600-1000 Watts/hr during that time and that is a lot of heat even though you have good air circulation.
I'm still interested in the model of charger/converter that is installed.
The charger / power center in the trailer is a PD4045, 45A output max @ 13.6V. But that won't be used while towing and charging through the truck (7 pin connector). Or are you referring to the alternator in the truck? But since I am seeing 13.9V at the battery, I am assuming that the charge current will be similar to that of the trailer's power center.
I think it will be much faster charging up the first 100Ahr of the battery than the second 100Ahr.
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YC 1
Yuba City Calif.
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I was referring to the alternator and making a point that you can work it pretty hard trying to bring up a large bank of batteries. If you are running two batteries and your engine battery is charged then you will be fine but I would not let it sit and idle to charge. While boondocking I try to run the generator 1-2 hours in the am and 1-2 in the late afternoon. If we have been outside and enjoying the sun we don't need to run it as much. Your converter is a mid size one. Keep in mind while inside that every light draws about 2 amps. Inverters running televisions and games can draw a substantial amount too. The Converter supplies a maximum of 45 amps so any current you are consuming with lights will not be available to charge batteries. When you are running down the road all of the current from your vehicle is going into the TT unless you left lights on.
So 5 lights on = ten amps. You now have 35 amps left for charging. Doing simple math will tell you approximately how long you would have to run the generator.
Running the generator is actually good for it and they consume very little fuel when not powering air conditioners of microwaves.
I actually have a 1000W Honda to keep my 40 footer topped off when the weather is mild. The little thing is so quiet and I set it as far away as possible and point the exhaust out. I can tell when my batteries are close to full because it idles down. I do have to program my charging system to a lower % because the 1000 W cannot handle the large demand. Oh, how I wish I had bought the 2000W one but I have some back issues and the lighter it is the better for me.
The fuel usage on the Honda is insane. It will run about 4 hours full tilt on 1/2 gallon? If I remember correctly.
In any case it sound like you have an excellent charge line but might want to do a bit more power management using the generator.
Buy a Genturi Exhaust and send that part of the noise and fumes up into the air.
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